Hanson seeks permits to landscape, install storm-water basins

DETAILS

Hanson Aggregates quarry in San Marcos

Where: 720 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road, south of Craven Road

What: The mine closed last year, and the owner is applying for a permit to grade the pit and landscape it to return it to a more natural state before selling to developers. The city is holding a workshop to discuss Hanson's reclamation plans.

Residents who live near a rock quarry near Cal State San Marcos can expect aesthetic improvements at the pit when the owner grades and landscapes it to finalize its closure.

Dallas-based Hanson Aggregates has applied to the city of San Marcos for permits to reduce the angle of the steep slopes, landscape the quarry and install storm-water-control basins, as state law requires.

Residents who want to know more about the plans can attend a public workshop at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Valley of Discovery Room at San Marcos City Hall, 1 Civic Center Drive.

The quarry, on South Twin Oaks Valley Road south of Craven Road, closed last year. Much of the conveyors, crushers and other equipment have been dismantled and trucked out, said Marvin Howell, director of land-use planning for Hanson.

Hanson plans to sell the land later, but now it needs to follow state Division of Mines guidelines and have a closure plan, Howell said.

Hanson has owned the quarry since the 1980s. It began mining rocks and manufacturing asphalt and concrete in the 1990s, Howell said.

The quarry once occupied a much larger area than what is there today, encompassing the Cal State San Marcos campus, the shopping center across the street from it and the homes nearby, Howell said.

As Hanson excavated rocks, it sold the flattened land to the university and developers, who used the quarry's products for construction.

While the university campus and a community sprang up around the quarry, Hanson reserved 250 acres for future use, Howell said.

Of the 250 acres, roughly 100 were set aside for wildlife habitat. The rest were mined, beginning in 2004.

By February last year, the company had exhausted the rock reserves, and Hanson's permit to mine the quarry also had expired.

To ensure that no one mistakes the closure activities for a resumption of rock mining, the city decided to hold a public workshop. After the workshop, the quarry-closure plan will go to the Planning Commission for approval. If granted the OK, Hanson can start as soon as the weather allows, Howell said.

“We can't grade when there is significant water flow that will carry materials off site (during the rainy season),” he said. “It will be completed within 12 months.”